Chapter 1,279 Who Will Dominate the Next Decade?

A newspaper with a blue earth on the cover.

Below the earth is a hand reaching out from the darkness, and at this moment this hand is holding the entire earth steadily.

A face can be seen vaguely through the black screen.

The face was very young and otherwise featureless. However, even the most face-blind person in the world will not feel unfamiliar with this person after seeing this face... As long as he has not lost touch with the times.

The news title below the picture uses a very ambiguous question——

"Who will dominate the next century?" 》

And now, this newspaper is lying with many similar newspapers on the desk in the Oval Office of the President of the White House.

"What do you think?" Sweeping the newspaper on the table aside, and rubbing her sour brow, Hillary looked at her chief of staff, "That Envoy-class starship."

"..."

The chief of staff did not speak. Instead, he and Secretary of Defense Carter looked at Bolden who was standing next to him silently.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Bolden took a deep breath and said bravely.

"Our scientists have solved the problem of designing a large space station counterweight, and now the only problem remains is the material."

"How long will it take to resolve it?" Hillary asked Bolden.

"A conservative estimate is 20 years, but it may be a little longer..." Bolden said with some embarrassment.

"This is different from what you said last time." Carter looked at Bolden with a somewhat aggressive tone. "During the meeting half a month ago, you said that the space elevator problem would be solved by 2040 at the latest. Build at least one elevator to geosynchronous orbit for America.”

"This cannot be entirely our fault." Bolden argued, "If Dalin Construction Company had not canceled the joint research and development agreement with us, this time could have been reduced by at least half."

"Dalin Construction?" Hillary frowned slightly and looked at Secretary of State Kerry, who had been silent. "I seem to have heard of this name somewhere."

“Companies controlled by the Japanese Sumitomo Foundation announced in 2014 that they would complete a space elevator in 2050. Reliable information shows that they have been engaged in research on related technologies as early as 2010.

"Kerry paused for a moment, glanced at Bolden incomprehensively, and frowned slightly, "I remember that the Sumitomo Foundation has always been actively involved in our International Space Station plan, and has had close ties with NASA and SpaceX for a long time. Cooperation, why..."

"It was the Star Ring Trade," Bolden said. "They persuaded them to give up the space elevator plan. What promises were probably given? You know, the main business of Dalin Group is in the construction field, maybe the Star Ring Trade Contracted projects on Mars or the moon to them? Anyway, they have already paid the liquidated damages on their own initiative."

"These damn white-eyed wolves..." Carter cursed in a low voice.

"They have always been white-eyed wolves. We should have been mentally prepared." Kerry sighed.

Seeing that no one spoke, Bolden coughed lightly and added.

"...Fortunately, we found the next one. Now we are cooperating with Thoth Technology Company in Ontario, Canada. The tower design of the pressurized section they studied could reach 20 kilometers three years ago. As long as it is high-intensity If there is a breakthrough in graphene materials, we still have a great chance."

However, the trouble lies in the high-strength graphene material.

As we all know, there are many types of graphene materials. And this thing is similar to steel. Although they are both called steel, steel produced from different materials, different forging processes, and different temperatures are completely different in various properties.

The same goes for graphene.

Although Xinghuan Trading has registered nearly a hundred patents internationally for nearly ten types of graphene materials including semiconductors, it is very tight-lipped about graphene materials related to the aerospace and military fields. Not to mention registered patents, even the finished products are rarely exported, and they are basically produced and sold by themselves.

The atmosphere in the office fell into silence.

Graphene.

It’s this damn graphene again.

No one thought that a thing that could be stuck together with two pieces of transparent glue would stump a superpower.

"Isn't there any good news?" Carter asked with difficulty.

If there is anyone who is under the greatest pressure from the completion of the Envoy-class starship, it is undoubtedly him, the Minister of Defense.

He really couldn't imagine what kind of thing could be used to pose a threat to that kind of behemoth.

missile? Naval gun?

Do not make jokes.

Can throwing a missile into geostationary orbit to attack satellites and attacking warships be the same thing?

At this moment, Bolden spoke again.

"Actually... the good news is not without it."

Everyone turned their attention to Bolden again.

"What's the good news?" Hillary asked immediately.

"Google-X Labs is ready to join our plan."

"Google-X?" Kerry frowned slightly, "Didn't they abandon the space elevator plan six years ago?"

As early as 2014, Astro Taylor, the head of the Google-X laboratory, announced the termination of the space elevator project at the American Entrepreneurship Technology Conference (TCD). Portable jet engines, hoverboards, etc. were also terminated. Some items that would normally appear in science fiction novels.

"They did announce their termination..." After a moment of silence, Bolden said, "But they promised to help us with the high-strength graphene project and break through the technological blockade of the star ring trade."

Although this is something to be happy about.

But a slightly self-deprecating wry smile appeared on everyone's faces.

Technical blockade?

Why does this word sound so familiar...

…

In the conference room of the Earth Defense Alliance headquarters in Star Ring City, members of the member states sat around the conference table and had just finished discussing the next development of the Earth Fleet.

The conference table was filled with a relaxed atmosphere, and even the most serious committee members relaxed their brows because of the success of the Origin.

"...I know you must be very excited, but please stay calm before getting excited. From the standpoint of the CEO of the Alliance Committee, I have to pour a glass of cold water on your head. It is too early to open the champagne now, Our opponent is very powerful." At the final summary of the meeting, Jiang Chen stood up, looked around at everyone present, and concluded his speech with these words.

Although he said this in a joking tone, there was no hint of a joke in his words.

Confidence is good.

When the Brood Incident in Finland was equated with extraterrestrial civilization, the whole world was filled with panic, and the global economy was even worse because of the implication. What about the Doomsday God. Cult, Noah's Ark Fund, All kinds of monsters and monsters appeared.

Faced with the extraterrestrial civilization that has arrived at our doorstep, it seems that no one except Jiang Chen, who was the first to hear the news, is optimistic that human civilization can survive the invasion of extraterrestrial civilization.

After all, what we faced at that time was only a mother nest, and it was still on the tundra where life was sparse. Even the powerful Star Ring Trading Orbital Airborne Brigade had to spend a lot of effort to clean up the alien species in the mother nest. Until now, that area is still a military restricted area, jointly controlled by the Finnish military and Star Circle Trade.

But now, when they see that battleship that dominates the world, no one will doubt the victory of the Earth Fleet.

To be honest, Jiang Chen would not doubt this.

But he won't take it lightly.

Although the development of civilization cannot simply be measured by the indicator of time, at least from the perspective of world history, ancient civilizations may not necessarily defeat young civilizations, even if the former often has a great advantage in the early stages... But Jiang Chen could not be sure. The million-ton starship is the standard for the Star Ring trade to enter the "late stage".

Confidence is good, yes.

But conceit is a cup of poison.

At least until breakthroughs in warp drive and antimatter technologies are achieved, he will not be overly optimistic about victory.